1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and apparatus for transferring data. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, and computer implementable instructions for insuring delivery of electronic documents in a network data processing system.
2. Description of Related Art
The Internet, also referred to as an “internetwork”, is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from a protocol of the sending network to a protocol used by the receiving network. When capitalized, the term “Internet” refers to the collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols.
The Internet has become a cultural fixture as a source of both information and entertainment. Many businesses are creating Internet sites as an integral part of their marketing efforts, informing consumers of the products or services offered by the business or providing other information seeking to engender brand loyalty. Many federal, state, and local government agencies are also employing Internet sites for informational purposes, particularly agencies which must interact with virtually all segments of society such as the Internal Revenue Service and secretaries of state. Providing informational guides and/or searchable databases of online public records may reduce operating costs. Further, the Internet is becoming increasingly popular as a medium for commercial transactions.
Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring data over the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, also called simply “the Web”. Other Internet resources exist for transferring information, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but have not achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transaction using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files (e.g., text, still graphic images, audio, motion video, etc.). The information in various data files is formatted for presentation to a user by a standard page description language, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). In addition to basic presentation formatting, HTML allows developers to specify “links” to other Web resources identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A URL is a special syntax identifier defining a communications path to specific information. Each logical block of information accessible to a client, called a “page” or a “Web page”, is identified by a URL. The URL provides a universal, consistent method for finding and accessing this information, not necessarily for the user, but mostly for the user's Web “browser”. A browser is a program capable of submitting a request for information identified by an identifier, such as, for example, a URL. A user may enter a domain name through a graphical user interface (GUI) for the browser to access a source of content. The domain name is automatically converted to the Internet Protocol (IP) address by a domain name system (DNS), which is a service that translates the symbolic name entered by the user into an IP address by looking up the domain name in a database.
The Internet also is widely used to transfer applications to users using browsers. With respect to commerce on the Web, individual consumers and businesses use the Web to purchase various goods and services. In offering goods and services, some companies offer goods and services solely on the Web while others use the Web to extend their reach. Many uses have been made of the Internet.
For example, good and services may be purchased on the Internet. Further, electronic mail or “e-mail” is common place and is taking over the role that physical mail once had in personal and business uses. E-mail and other types of electronic documents form one of the most important aspects of commerce on the electronic commerce as well as for other purposes. With heavier reliance on the Internet to send and transmit documents that were normally sent as physical documents by mail, overnight delivery services, and facsimile, the timely delivery of documents is just as important with delivery of documents using the Internet. The timely delivery of documents or other data is mission critical for many businesses to be successful. This situation is especially true for real time data that needs to be delivered by specific deadlines to be of any use to the recipient. Examples of critical real time data include, for example, electronic tax returns, payments for property bills, and bids on contracts. Delays are unacceptable in some instances. There is a need and a desire to protect businesses against delays that may occur.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method, apparatus, and computer implementable instructions for protecting an entity against damages that may occur with an untimely delivery of data.